Sunday, March 13, 2016

Dux Bookstorum

 

 

This little souvenir is coming home with me from Boston today.   I was strolling around Harvard Yard yesterday, taking in a beautiful early spring day and trying not to get into the selfies taken by (mostly) Chinese families.    I was sort of hoping I wouldn’t stumble across the Harvard University Bookstore, and I didn’t, but off a little side street I came across Raven Used Books (23 Church Street if you’re ever in Cambridge, Mass) and this jumped off the military books shelf.   For $6.95, I thought it a bargain.    It can sit on my rules shelf and perhaps help inspire by Dux Rohirrim project.   Nice to have for the illustrations if nothing else.

The running trails and the Charles River were both busy.

The object of my visit, the beautiful Anglican monastery of St. John the Evangelist, a 1920s era Romanesque building that brings back happy memories of Italy.

As a word of advice to those thinking about visiting a monastery, try and make sure that you stay when it’s pizza night.  The cauliflower and goats cheese pizza was heavenly.

Blessings,

MP+

18 comments:

  1. I love the cover illustration....so evocative. There is another inside of mounted Romano-British in front of a hill fort that is one of my favourites. Never had the chance to play the rules but the art is certainly inspiring!

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    1. Some of the colour plates are a bit hit and miss but I agree, that particular one is splendid. It has TH White's Once and Future King written all over it.

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  2. Looks a lovely place and the pizza sounds great too.
    Alan

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    1. it was lovely pizza but I don't think the monks deliver. :(

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  3. Terrific photos and the pizza sounds very good. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Boston.
    On my last trip to Italy, can you guess where my wife and I found the best pizza? The pizza we enjoyed the most was in the Vatican cafeteria! Excellent stuff!

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    1. I always love Boston, it has an old world vibe that you don't find much in North America - New Orleans and Quebec City are two exceptions. I suspect Charleston is similar, though I haven't yet been.
      I think we had coffee in that musueum after making our way through the Musei Vaticani. We found a very nice health food place near the Vatican for lunch.

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    2. What a wonderful place, the Vatican Museum! Although we were there in 2014, my wife is ready for a return visit. We would enjoy a trip to Quebec City too.

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    3. What a wonderful place, the Vatican Museum! Although we were there in 2014, my wife is ready for a return visit. We would enjoy a trip to Quebec City too.

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  4. The old SSJE... I stayed at their London house for some time in the '80s. One of the brothers had a black wooden hand because the original hand been shot off in World War 1. As I understand it, they've shut that down.

    But what would RM Benson think of the US branch of the order now?

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    1. I don't know, Parson. The brothers I met in Cambridge all seemed like godly and devout men to me. Their hospitality was exceptional, their worship was inspiring, and the Retreat I took was well led. Whatever flaws they have are held within their rule of life, I am sure.

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  5. Replies
    1. I was happy. Those little discoveries and dopamine rewards are a compensation for hours spent scanning used book store shelves.

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  6. Looks like you had a grand getaway, Padre! As a rule, I stay away from the big cities, but that looks very peaceful! ;)

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    1. Boston is a big city, but the bit around Harvard University was quite charming. Lots of narrow streets, would be difficult to own a car there, I think, so quieter than some places.

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  7. That's a steal! Nice little set of rules. I highly recommend Dux Brianniarum for early Dark Ages and campaign play.

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  8. $7 is a bargain for any rules set, well done.

    Always wanted to visit Boston some day. The Monastery certainly does have a classic euro vibe to it.

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  9. Thanks Benito, DG and Dai:
    $7 for a set of rules like that seems like a bargan, even though I have my doubts I will use them for what they are intended for. The hunt and the sudden unexpected find is all.

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